NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1396, 2 November 1886, Page 3

NOTES.

Whether because they spend most of their own time in that part of the colony, or whether for any other reason, or for no reason at all, the tact remains that Ministers—not of the present Government only, but of all Governments —seem to devote most of their attention to the North Island, and North Island affairs, and to think their duty is done when they have provided for its requirements. The latest, not, we fear the last, instance of this sort of thing is the t -Id Soldiers’ Commission. That Commission has been appointed to enquire into the claims to grants of land of men who have served in the Imperial or Colonial Forces in the Maori campaigns in New Zealand, and has been sitting in Auckland, New Plymouth, and other places North of Cook’s Strait. Not veiy far short of noo claims have already been investigated, and in places which the Commission has not visited we observe that it is notified in the papers that forms of claim may be obtained at the local police offices. But not only does there not seem to be any sign of the Commission crossing to the South Island, but there has not been, so far as we have been able to ascertain, any such notification published in South Island papers, or any facility offered for the sending in of claims by old soldiers resident in this part of the colony. No doubt the greater part of those who have seen service are settled in Auckland and Taranaki, but there are still a good many who reside in the South Island, and who assuredly ought not to be placed at any disadvantage on that account. The matter is one which certainly requires attention, and if the Commissioners do not come South, the least that could be done is to give the old soldiers resident in this part of the colony full directions as to how, when, and where to prefer their claims, so that they may be considered and reported upon by the Commission, together with those of their comrades resident in the northern portion of the colony. In reading the very interesting accounts in Home papers of the wonderful success achieved by the great French savant, M. Louis Pasteur, in the treatment of that most terrible of all diseases, hydrophobia, two reflections natuially suggest themselves to the colonial reader. These are : First, that the number of persons afflicted with this dire disease in European countries is startlingly large; and, second ; That it is matter for thankfulness that for some occult reason rabies, is unknown south of the line. That is to say, although in the Australian and New Zealand colonies, for instance, therqjare hordes of dogs of all known breeds.

and hordes of no breed at all, there h i never, so far as we are aware, been one authenticated instance of hydrophobia. But there would appear, from a paragraph which we find in the Rangitikei Advocate, to be some reason to fear that immunity from this scourge is not always to continue. That journal in its issue of the 21st ult. wiites :—“What looks remarkably like a case of hydrophobia occurred in Marton yesterday. Mr David Kendrick had a valuable retriever, which was quiet as a pet lamb. Yesterday the dog started growling in a mysterious manner, and bis owner could not make out what was the matter. He gre.i and more savage, and then started on a wild rush round the garden, tearing at shrubs, flowers, and everything that came in his way. Foam gathered on his lips. He sprang open-mouthed at his owner. Mr Kendrick fortunately managed to elude the spring, and, grasping the infuriated animal by the collar, held him fast till an axe was procured, when the mad dog was promptly killed.” The foregoing is not conclusive evidence, it is true, as dogs sometimes suffer from toothache, and under the pangs of its torture develop symptoms resembling those here described; but it is not to be denied that the case looks unpleasantly like one of genuine hydrophobia. It is a pity that some experiments were not made with a view to diagnose the case scientifically, as we think might have been done by testing the saliva after the animal’s death, for if it were established that ihe supposed immunity from hydrophobia does not really exist, proper precautions would be taken to guard against it.